LATEST ADDITIONS

It seems these days that everybody and his brother is doing something about room equalization. Sure, we had the old-time graphic and parametric EQs&mdash;now we're seeing much more sophisticated and dedicated devices, from the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/roomtreatments/437">TacT</A&gt; and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/solidpreamps/278">Z-Systems</A&gt; standalone products to the auto-setup and EQ systems found in many A/V receivers. I was impressed with the Audyssey MultEQxt in the Denon AV-4806 receiver&mdash;see my "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/musicintheround/306mitr">Music in the Round</A>" column in March, p.50&mdash;and a standalone AudysseyPro unit was demonstrated at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show.

As it did for so many other designers and manufacturers of specialty audio gear, the current occupation of Basis owner/designer A.J. Conti began as a hobby and personal quest. A longtime audiophile and home-based dealer of brands like Krell and Quicksilver, Conti decided to build his own "killer" turntable using a fluid-damped suspension.

I first heard the Canadian-made Waveform Research Mach 17 loudspeaker system in New York City at HI-FI '96, <I>Stereophile</I>'s Home Theater & Specialty Audio Show. Another Ontario native, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/996russell">Chris Russell</A> of Bryston Ltd., had raved to me about their sound. His recommendation sent me outside my assigned reporting area and down to the sixth floor of the Waldorf=Astoria, to dimly lit room 602&mdash;full of <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/roomtreatments/215">ASC Tube Traps</A>, amplifiers, cables, and the twin truncated pyramids of the Mach 17s.

I've been working on the <i>Buyer's Guide</i>. Again, I find myself getting all tangled up in the content. Goodness me. My focus shifts away from the cold cells. I lose sight of borders, completely forget about column width. And find myself wondering:

<I>Timesonline</I> has a great article/book review focusing on the Tasmanian Devil. There's great stuff here, but what really grabbed me was a great nickname: Colonel William “Phlegmatic” Paterson.

Well, that's what Seth Lloyd thinks. I love this <I>Technology Review</I> interview because the writer obviously doesn't buy the theory, but he gives Lloyd a fair shake in laying it out.

Bagheera may have more of the chair, but Huck's looking pretty smug about using her as a pillow.